''Never Goin' Back'' is a 2018 American stoner

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written, directed, and edited by

Augustine Frizzell Augustine Frizzell (born July 27, 1979) is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She made her feature film directorial debut with '' Never Goin' Back'' (2018). Early life Growing up in Garland, Texas, Frizzell attended South Gar ...

. It stars

Maia Mitchell Maia McCall Mitchell (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian actress and singer. Known for her work in film and television, she has received various accolades, including nominations for eight Teen Choice Awards. Born and raised in Lismore, ...

and

Camila Morrone Camila Rebeca Morrone (; born June 16, 1997) is an Argentine and American actress and model. She made her acting debut in the James Franco film ''Bukowski'' (2013) and appeared in the action film '' Death Wish'' (2018), as well as the independe ...

as two broke teenage waitresses who stumble through a series of misadventures as they try to get away for a vacation to

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

. The film had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

on January 22, 2018. It was released in the United States on August 3, 2018, by

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

Plot

South Texas South Texas is a geographic and cultural region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of th ...

, Angela and Jessie are best friends and high school dropouts who spend their time working as waitresses at a mundane diner and wanting more out of their lives. One day, Angela decides to surprise Jessie by purchasing a trip to

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

so they can spend Jessie's 17th birthday at the beach. She uses their rent money to pay for it and arranges for both of them to work extra hours at the diner to make up for the money they spent on the trip. However, Dustin, Jessie's goofy older brother and both girls' roommate, spends his part of the rent in a failed drug sale he attempted with his friends. The next morning, Tony, Dustin's friend, breaks into the house and steals an old TV because he thinks Dustin stole the drug money. The police arrive to check the scene of the crime and discover Angela's and Jessie's stash of weed and cocaine. Both girls are arrested. After spending two days in juvenile detention, where Jessie suffers from constipation, the girls are released and learn that Roderick, their boss, wants to talk to them. While headed to the laundry to wash their uniforms, they run into a former co-worker, Paul, who tells them that their mutual friend Art Dog is having a party at his home and that they can use his washing machine. At Art Dog's house, the girls try to remain sober, but they eat cannabis cookies by accident. They arrive high at their job and Roderick, even though he cares for both of them, makes the tough decision to fire them. With all hope lost, Jessie comes up with the idea of convincing Brandon, their other, porn-addicted roommate, to let them take the money from the cash register at the sandwich shop where he works and then tell the police he was robbed. At first, Brandon does not like the idea, but he accepts when the girls promise to have a threesome with him, a promise they do not intend to keep. At that moment, a disguised Dustin and his other friend, Ryan, enter and try to steal the money in order to recover what they lost in the drug deal. The girls immediately recognize them and they admit to Brandon they do not have enough money to pay for rent. After the boys leave, a terrified Brandon admits that there is only $50 in the register and that the rest is in a safe he does not have the key for. Brandon's boss, Mr. Dickson, unexpectedly arrives and Brandon hides the girls in the utility closet. Dickson orders Brandon to leave, leaving Angela and Jessie trapped inside. Mr. Dickson then puts his penis inside of a sandwich bread and takes pictures of it, as the girls realize that he is an old man that they had yelled at for being sexist at a grocery store. Suddenly, Jessie starts having cramps due to the long constipation and defecates in a bucket. Angela, feeling disgusted, opens the closet door and vomits on Mr. Dickson, who passes out on the floor. Relieved that he is still alive, the girls check his phone and discover he is "

sexting Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or videos, primarily between mobile phones. It may also include the use of a computer or any digital device. The term was first popularized early in the 21s ...

" with a woman who is not his wife. They use his key to open the safe and take the money, before leaving a message for him telling they will show the pictures to his wife if he reports them to the police. Back in the house, where Brandon, Dustin, Ryan, and Tony are all deeply sleeping, Angela and Jessie decide to leave them enough money to pay the rent and take the rest and go to California to start a new life. While they are talking about their plans, they fall asleep in their bed. Later, Angela and Jessie are having fun at the beach.

Cast

as Angela *

as Jessie * Joel Allen as Dustin * Kendal Smith as Tony * Matthew Holcomb as Ryan *

Kyle Mooney Kyle James Kozub Mooney (born September 4, 1984) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. Mooney was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2013 to 2022. In 2017, he co-wrote and starr ...

as Brandon * Atheena Frizzell as Crystal

Release

The film had its world premiere at the

on January 22, 2018. Shortly thereafter,

acquired distribution rights to the film. It also screened at

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

on March 10, 2018. It was given a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in the United States on August 3, 2018, with a peak distribution of 27 theatres, before being released on home video.

Reception

Box office

Though released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

, the film grossed $61,271 at the box office during its limited release in the United States.

Critical response

References

External links